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The migration crisis that intensified in Cuba starting in 2021 has left behind a trail of unfinished stories. Many people currently do not have a home to return to in their country.
Thousands of Cubans left the island driven by scarcity, blackouts, and a lack of opportunities, with their sights set on the United States. However, not everyone made it. Some remain trapped in a migratory limbo in southern Mexico, as well as in other countries across Latin America and the world, without clear options for their future.
In cities like Tapachula, Chiapas, dozens of Cubans are surviving without documents, without formal employment, and without institutional support. Many sold their homes, left their families behind, and risked everything on a journey that ended in frustration. There are also those who travel with their children and struggle to find economic stability to settle down and lead a dignified life.
The outcome for these Cuban migrants is a reality marked by uncertainty. They can no longer move towards the United States, but they also lack the economic means to return to Cuba, which is currently experiencing a deep economic, political, and social crisis.
The tightening of immigration policy under the administration of Donald Trump closed off entry routes to the United States and increased the deportation of Cubans from that country to Mexico.
This is compounded by the cancellation of mechanisms that previously offered some possibility of applying for asylum, leaving thousands of Cuban migrants without legal alternatives to reunite with their families in Miami and other U.S. cities.
Mexican authorities consistently receive flights with deported Cubans, increasing pressure in a region already saturated with migrants. The Mexican government maintains a stance of openness, but in practice, many Cubans still lack work permits or regularize their status.
In light of this situation, decisions are becoming increasingly difficult. Some migrants consider returning to Cuba despite the crisis that forced them to leave. Others choose to stay in Mexico under precarious conditions, while a third group quietly waits for the chance to try crossing into the United States again someday.
Regardless of their stance, they share a common underlying issue: these individuals left everything behind to pursue a dream that did not come true, and now they have no home to return to in Cuba.
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